He was born to wealthy parents who hoped for a distinguished
career for their son. Perhaps that’s why his dad was so disturbed by the boy’s
interest at the age of 13 in dangerous explosives. What would he be when he
grew up? A cracker seller?
The teenager protested that his firecrackers and skyrockets
were marvelous sources of energy that could be tapped constructively.
One day the boy obtained six skyrockets from a friend and
tried to work out how to put them to use. Idly, he looked out over the front
lawn at a little red wagon. Then it occurred to him. If just one of these
rockets could lift itself high into the sky, may be several of them could turn
that toy wagon into a projectile.
Quickly he tied two rockets to each side of his wagon. His
heart pounding in anticipation, he lit the fuses and jumped clear. Then, with a
blast, the rockets ignited and blasted the wagon down the street at an amazing
speed.
Elated, the boy dashed down the street after it. The rockets
finally burned out, a few hundred meters away. Neighbours ran from their homes
and saw a breathless, exuberant boy, dancing about the charred chassis of a
childhood toy. Then the police arrived.
After his father arrived to take him home, the child was
severely reprimanded. But he never got over the excitement, and eventually he
grew to distinguish himself as few others have in the field of rocket
technology.
The boy whose toys ceased to be toys went on to achieve his
doctorate at 22. So respected was he that his country—Germany—called on him to
head its rocket research.
At 24 he was making rockets for Hitler----the V-2s that
lashed London. Then when the Allies were closing in and surrender was imminent,
he came to work for USA. Without him, America might never have gained the lead
in space. Without him, there might have been no Saturn V that carried men to
moon.
And all because a little boy in German suburb thought he
could make his wagon fly. In a way, it reached the stars.
As you may know by now, his name was Wernher von Braun.
